Nurses strike at Lakeshore Hospital ends

KOCHI: The nurses strike at Lakeshore Hospital ended on Wednesday with the management and  the United Nurses Association reaching an agreement. After 31 days of strike and 18 days of relay hunger strike, the nurses have struck a deal with the management. United Nurses Association Lakeshore unit secretary Remya Rani said that they were withdrawing from the strike as the management had agreed to their demands with regard to trainee nurses and salary.  As per the agreement, the trainee nurses who would be completing their training period could submit applications for the post of staff nurses. She said that the agreement was that the management should give priority to the trainee staff who apply for the post of staff  nurse. “The nine nurses who had been terminated from the service would also be reinstated,” Rani said. “As these nine trainee nurses had been terminated, it was agreed that they have to furnish new applications within two weeks and they would be appointed as staff nurses,” she said. Another agreement was that the salary would be given to the confirmed staff as per the agreement reached in February in the presence of Labour Minister Shibu Baby John.The strike had continued for a long period after the agitators and the hospital management stuck to their stands.